Use rubber gloves when working with jalapeno peppers so your hands won’t get burned. If you want extra fire in the dish you’re preparing, don’t remove the seeds. The hottest parts of a pepper are the seeds and membrane, so if you want to reduce the heat in a dish, remove the seeds.

To seed the peppers, slice off the stem end, and cut the pepper in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds by running your finger along the inside of the vein, scraping off the seeds. Stack the two pepper halves on top of each other and cut into irregular pieces about the size of peas.